What equipment got you into astronomy?

[John]

The Ladybird books series used excellent artists. I used to have the Astronomy one plus 4 different ones on birds and even one on fishing !

At one point some of them were getting quite collectable.

One of my early astronomy books ( borrowed from the local library ) was the 1st edition of the "Challenge of the Stars" by Sir Patrick Moore and illustrated by David A Hardy. I have the 2nd edition currently. Illustrations like this stay with you when you are young and imaginative

 

[wookie1965]

Two friends my brother and I used to go wild camping all over North Wales many years ago, went back to one place several times as the farmer said we could and we were the only ones who left the campsite like we found it. 

Being out in the wild no street lights the skies were amazing we all bought cheap 10x50 binoculars and saw many clusters and fuzzies, in them days never new what they were. 

Several years later when I was married with children taking them camping we even went to Cornwall in 1999 and watched the eclipse it was then I went the library and started to read. 

When I had enough money I bought a 6"  Telescope on a eq3-2 mount with Turn Left for Orion. This was the beginning of this great adventure where I have met some wonderful people and got some really good friends cannot get any better. 

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by wookie1965

[Telescope40]

5 hours ago, Alan White said:

Ags, wow that is an alternate view and I had almost forgotten it was my true route in
And I too had a book that engaged my interest as a young child.
The Ladybird Book of The Night Sky.

Alan. Ditto re this book. Got it when I was about 6/7 yrs old - the late 60’s. I still have it !!! Love the page about the moon and its phases. 
Together with my Dad taking me outside at the time and explaining how to find Polaris from Ursa Major - that was it - hooked. 
Thanks DAD 👍👍

Edited January 6, 2022 by Telescope40

[DavieH]

Celestron travelscope 70 - fathers day present about 10 years ago. Amazing  and terrible in equal measure, but more than enough to get me hooked!

[garryblueboy]

Prinz 550 refractor 

Edited February 19, 2022 by garryblueboy

[CCD-Freak]

My first scope was a Sears 60mm EQ refractor.  I got it for Christmas in 1965 and here is a picture of me with it from 1969. 

 

[neilmack]

On 24/11/2021 at 22:57, mikeDnight said:

It was initially two books, if books can be thought of as equipment. The Observers book of Astronomy by Patrick Moore, and Guide to the Moon, also by Patrick Moore.

My first scope was a 60mm Prinz Astral 500, which gave me my first real views of the Moon, planets and Sun spots. I imagine the Prinz Astral refractors are responsible for ignighting many an astronomical flame in the hearts of budding young stargazers. I was 18 years old when I got bitten.

 

I still have my Astral 60mm refractor, though mine was on an altaz mount.

[Epick Crom]

The first instrument I used to observe the night sky was 16x50 binoculars. It was a revelation discovering so many things for the first time. I then moved on to 20x80 binoculars and now my first telescope a 10 inch dobsonian.

Joe

[Paz]

I received some 12-60x70mm zoom binoculars as a present, exactly the kind everyone warns you not to get. I knew nothing about astronomy or optics and at the time I thought they were incredible. It never really occurred to me it was possible to see so much with your own eyes but here I was looking at Jupiter as a small wobbling blurry blob.

Its funny that the first time seeing Jupiter and it's moons was possibly my biggest wow moment, despite using the worst optics I've ever owned!

Edited March 5, 2022 by Paz

[niallk]

On 06/01/2022 at 17:51, John said:

The Ladybird books series used excellent artists. I used to have the Astronomy one plus 4 different ones on birds and even one on fishing !

At one point some of them were getting quite collectable.

One of my early astronomy books ( borrowed from the local library ) was the 1st edition of the "Challenge of the Stars" by Sir Patrick Moore and illustrated by David A Hardy. I have the 2nd edition currently. Illustrations like this stay with you when you are young and imaginative

 

Geez I remember that picture - if I'm right, I think that was the artist's concept of what the sun would look like from Pluto??  As you say, memorable!!

[Marc1964]

Like many here just going camping in areas with amazing night skies, Dorset, Isle of Skye, the Highlands, Kielder. Staring at the stars at night with suitable beverage. 

First scope was a bit of an impulse buy about three years ago, a Skywatcher 90 /900 on an AZ mount, with the standard OK 25mm and frankly terrible 10mm lens which I picked up from Facebook Marketplace for £75. 

Best spend ever. First time with Jupiter and Saturn was amazing but the beauty of the pleiades was just something else, even through an inexpensive 32mm Celestron Omni Plossl...

[Marki]

My first bit of kit was a secondhand pair of 10x50 Zeiss Jena bins from the 80s. I didn't get a proper 'scope until 10 years ago, after watching Stagazing Live in 2012. I plumped for a Celestron 8se, and my first view of Saturn through that is clearly etched in my memory... .

 

[CCD-Freak]

My second scope was an 8" F7 Newt I built using a Coulter Optical mirror.  I scrounged up all the parts and built the mount from pipe fittings and the counter weight was made by melting down bullets that I dug out of the berm at the rifle range at the boy scout camp I worked at that summer.  I learned the sky with this scope.   This picture is from about 1970.

[JeremyS]

Interesting letter in the May S&T, which arrived a couple of days ago, about many Coulter mirrors being under corrected and other optical errors. We are lucky with the quality of equipment readily available nowadays 

[CCD-Freak]

18 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Interesting letter in the May S&T, which arrived a couple of days ago, about many Coulter mirrors being under corrected and other optical errors. We are lucky with the quality of equipment readily available nowadays 

The smaller full thickness Coulter mirrors seemed to be OK.  I also have a 12.5" F6 Coulter mirror that puts up great images.  The larger thin mirrors they made for Dobs were more prone to issues. 

Back then we did not have as much to choose from.  The mechanicals of scopes were pretty crude by today's standards too.

[Louis D]

I once looked through a 17.5" Coulter Dob at a star party a couple of decades ago, and I can't say that the views were all that impressive.  Not bad, but not exceptional like a modern Zambuto or Lockwood mirrored Dob.  The fact that the guy kept an ancient 12 passenger van with custom wood cradles in the back to haul it around, and had to get a couple of extra folks to help him extract it and set it up, put me off of getting one.  I went with a used 15" Tectron Dob with a Nova Optical mirror instead.  It was great until my back got ripped up by a car accident.  That 65 pound mirror box is killer.

[Davesellars]

I'm pretty late to the game...  Although I was very interested in astronomy when I was a young lad I only had some basic binoculars but really didn't appreciate what was actually up there however seeing the Milky Way very well back in the 80s in rural Lincolnshire was something else and unfortunately not something I've seen since...

However, my first proper instrument I bought in 2014 which was a Celestron C8 on the EQ5 mount (I still have that same mount - what a work-horse it is!) which got me properly into observational astronomy and I quickly progressed through the Messier catalogue with this as I took to star-hopping like a duck to water.

Edited March 12, 2022 by Davesellars

[RobertI]

I think the main thing that got me into astronomy was a rivalry with one of my school friends! He bought Iain Nicholson’s guide to astronomy, so I just had to have it too. I was hooked from that moment on. I suspect I started observing with my dad’s Russian 7x50 binoculars, but eventually got my own 6” reflector which I used throughout my teens. I still have a soft spot for 6” Newtonians to this day. 🙂

[JeremyS]

9 hours ago, RobertI said:

I think the main thing that got me into astronomy was a rivalry with one of my school friends! He bought Iain Nicholson’s guide to astronomy, so I just had to have it too. I was hooked from that moment on. I suspect I started observing with my dad’s Russian 7x50 binoculars, but eventually got my own 6” reflector which I used throughout my teens. I still have a soft spot for 6” Newtonians to this day. 🙂

Ah yes, Iain Nicholson. I read some of his books. Made a change from a diet of Patrick

[DrMike]

Just to add my bit…..I started after PM’s first sky at night episode in April 1957.  Corresponded with him and so forth. Iain Nicolson was a good friend actually, and worked alongside him for many years. A sad loss.

my first scope was a Prinz 2.5 inch refractor on alt-az mount. I thought it was brilliant . Still have it and look at it lovingly from time to time.

and of course Norton’s Star Atlas.

[pixelsaurus]

For me it was Sputnik. I was 5. My first telescope was a 20x50 Carton refractor with a desk tripod. I used to perch it on a table outside and look at the moon. This was in 1969, the year I saw my first comet - Tago-Sato-Kosaka (1969g).

Edited April 17, 2022 by pixelsaurus

[russ]

First instrument was a pair of Swift 10x50 binoculars. I wanted a telescope but Mum used to watch Sky at Night and Patrick said you should start with binoculars. Never been so gutted EVER. Of course I had to look grateful and I did give them a go. Thought they were a waste of time and tossed them in a draw. Six months later I was bought a 50mm Tasco refractor. And from that point on I was hooked. One look at Saturn, job done. I wrote to Patrick to tell him how badly wrong his advice was. I was only 14 at the time. And cringed later when I realised what I had done. And Patrick being the awesome person he is wrote back with a diplomatic reply.

Still have the Swift binoculars, a prized possession now. A few years later I realised the worth of binoculars and also how good Swift were. I stand by what I told Patrick though, binoculars are definitely NOT the right choice for everyone. Had it not been for that little Tasco I wouldn't have been hooked.

[russ]

On 05/01/2022 at 20:36, F15Rules said:

Prinz 550 (Dixon's Photographic) 60mm F15 refractor with proper equatorial mount. Made in Japan by Kenko ( later Prinz 500s were much cheaper built with some plastic parts, such as the focuser wheels. They also had Circle T optics, which were quite good, but not IMHO as good as the Kenko lens set). All metal construction in a proprietary grey paint finish which I found very cool at age 15!

Ah the awesome Prinz 550, my second telescope and bought for £25. Could believe my luck at the time (1985), my paper round money covered it no problem. Should never have sold it. But I did straight swap for a home built 8.5" dob. Which I adored.

[Louis D]

4 hours ago, russ said:

First instrument was a pair of Swift 10x50 binoculars. I wanted a telescope but Mum used to watch Sky at Night and Patrick said you should start with binoculars. Never been so gutted EVER. Of course I had to look grateful and I did give them a go. Thought they were a waste of time and tossed them in a draw. Six months later I was bought a 50mm Tasco refractor. And from that point on I was hooked. One look at Saturn, job done. I wrote to Patrick to tell him how badly wrong his advice was. I was only 14 at the time. And cringed later when I realised what I had done. And Patrick being the awesome person he is wrote back with a diplomatic reply.

Still have the Swift binoculars, a prized possession now. A few years later I realised the worth of binoculars and also how good Swift were. I stand by what I told Patrick though, binoculars are definitely NOT the right choice for everyone. Had it not been for that little Tasco I wouldn't have been hooked.

Right there with you.  Other than looking at large star clusters/fields, they aren't all that useful.  Everything is jumping about because your own jitters are being amplified 6x to 15x, so you can't see anything but the brightest stars and planets/moon.  If you're going to put the binoculars on a tripod, you might as well put a telescope on there.  The viewing angle will be much more comfortable unless you bought a dedicated pair of astro bins with 90 degree prisms for $1000+.  At that point, why not just buy a telescope?  I had bins for years, but it took a telescope to really get me going on amateur astronomy in my 30s.

[Mandy D]

This little beastie: A Skywatcher 250PX. I'd been looking at getting a telescope for years, but always considered them too expensive, prior to Chinese manufacturing taking the marketplace by storm. I spotted it on the internet, ex-display but otherwise brand-new with a substantial discount. It was probably a bit bigger than I'd been planning, but hey, aperture rules, right?